Editing Sorrow-Spiders

Sorrow-spiders have notoriously infested almost every corner of [[Fallen London]], and a truly enormous number of them can be found in [[Saviour's Rocks]], where they act as the rulers of the human settlement there.__forcetoc__

<blockquote>''"Sorrow-spiders. Disgusting or lovable? Objects of worship, entertainment, or mere silk-producing machines? Opinion is divided."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Spiders_and_flies|Spiders and flies|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>Sorrow-spiders are terrifying arachnids that grow to about the size of a cat, with their silk surprisingly popular as a fabric.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Surface-Silk_Scrap|Surface-Silk Scrap|Fallen London|}}</ref> They infest quite a few corners of [[London]], to the point that the [[Department of Menace Eradication]] often pays handsomely for sacks filled with their legs.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Resolution%3A_turn_in_a_sack_of_sorrow-spider_legs|Resolution: turn in a sack of sorrow-spider legs|Fallen London|}}</ref> Rooms full of sorrow-spiders are sometimes used for executions, especially for unfortunate players of the [[Great Game]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Eavesdrop_at_the_church|Eavesdrop at the church|Fallen London|}}</ref> In the caverns under the Singing Mandrake, the [[The Spider Symposium|Spider Symposium]] endlessly debate over the nature of language and its relationship to their sapience, which should it ever end will lead to thousands of hungry sorrow spiders to descend and feast upon the inhabitants of London.<ref>{{Citation|https://www.fallenlondon.com/|Sides in a Debate ||}} ''"A sorrow spider the size of a Great Dane sidles up to you. "Are you refreshments?" Its many eyes peer hopefully at you, and then behind you. "We are long overdue a break." As one of the younger members of the Symposium, this spider is rarely permitted the floor. Prohibited from addressing its fellows, it turns to you. "The subject is language, and its relationship to our sapience. We're meant to be agreeing conclusions. And I'm not allowed to scuttle out for an eyeball till we have.""''</ref> Furthermore, the Observatory near [[Watchmaker's Hill]] is home to a blind cult of astronomers, who seem to worship the spiders as some sort of idol.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Infiltrate_the_Observatory_as_the_procession_is_getting_ready|Infiltrate the Observatory as the procession is getting ready|Fallen London|}}</ref>

Sorrow-spiders can travel through mirrors, and thus to and from [[Parabola]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_great_work%3F_(Luminous)|The great work? (Luminous)|Fallen London|}} ''""[...]we shall release our sorrow-spiders into the mirrored boxes you see here. [...]" [...] Then — the spider in box four is gone! There is a scream from the next room, and a sound like fangs dragging across reinforced glass. It worked! You have shown that arachno-speculative travel is a reality!"''</ref> although the ramifications of this ability are unknown... beyond the obvious one, that spiders infest our dreams (ah, wonderful). They can also, in fact, be tamed; apparently they can be quite intelligent and prone to ambition.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Fairly_Tame_Sorrow-Spider|Fairly Tame Sorrow-Spider|Fallen London|}}</ref> Now, what ''is'' that ambition?

==='''Spider-Councils'''===

<blockquote>''"Sorrow-spiders are already repulsive. Spider-councils are what happens when sorrow-spiders go bad."''<ref name="sidebar">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets|Sidebar Snippets|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>[[File:Council.png|thumb|A spider-council.]]

Every now and then a bunch of sorrow-spiders come together and combine to form a hulking '''spider-council'''. These monsters can grow even larger than a horse, and they often fester in the crypts of abandoned buildings. Sorrow-spiders actually bring these monsters stolen eyes, in which they lay their eggs.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Laughing_in_the_fangs_of_fear|Laughing in the fangs of fear|Fallen London|}}</ref> In particular, Spider-councils seem to value the eyes of those "blessed" with [[the Correspondence]].

Also, ''they can talk''. A smooth, silky contralto, as one would expect.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Below_the_Silken_Chapel:_The_Spider-Council|Below the Silken Chapel: The Spider-Council|Fallen London|}}</ref> One infamously huge spider-council resides in [[Saviour's Rocks]], and another, even larger one patrols the nearby Eastern waters of Gossamer's Way.

{{major spoiler small}}<blockquote>''"It depicts a star infested with spiders, that cleave to each other like fish caught in a net. On the reverse, an [[The Sapphir'd King|azure regent]] prepares for war, in his chariot of hateful radiance."''<ref name="silken thread2">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Tomb_of_the_Silken_Thread_2|The Tomb of the Silken Thread|Sunless Skies|}}</ref>

''"Soon I will shuck [[The White Well|this place]] like a skin."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/A_voice_in_your_head...#wellmouth_desc|A voice in your head|Sunless Skies|}}</ref></blockquote>[[File:Nightmare ambience.png|thumb|A Nightmare.|150px]]

There's no particular limit to how big a spider-council can grow; all they need is more and more spiders. Well, okay, there is a limit, namely that there can be only so many spiders in a council before it becomes a threat to the gods themselves. These planet-sized groupings are called '''spider-senates'''.<ref name="truth">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/A_Web_of_Intrigue|A Web of Intrigue|Sunless Skies|}}</ref>

Long ago, a spider-senate was formed by laying an egg in a star, but was defeated by [[the Sapphir'd King]].<ref name="silken thread">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Tomb_of_the_Silken_Thread_2|The Tomb of the Silken Thread|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> After defeating it, he imprisoned the spider-senate in the frozen [[The White Well|White Well]].<ref name="truth">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/A_Web_of_Intrigue|A Web of Intrigue|Sunless Skies|}}</ref>  

A spider-cult from [[The_Fallen_Cities#The Fourth City.2C 1254 CE|the Fourth City]] called '''the Motherlings''' are attempting to create another spider-senate. They know the art of knitting two spider-councils into a bigger one, and with this process they tried to create a spider-council large enough to lay an egg on [[Judgements#The Sun|the Sun]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Web_of_the_Motherlings|The Web of the Motherlings|Fallen London|}}''"She recites a prayer, or poem, describing the "Eye of Heaven", which "sees and burns and judges." Spiders scuttle excitedly around her. The prayer suggests that the blessed will lay an egg in the Eye of Heaven, which will hatch into a "Spider-Senate, to hang its webs from the stars.""''</ref> When [[the Khanate]], the remnants of the Fourth City, took to the skies, the Motherlings followed them to [[Eagle's Empyrean]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_Visa_Checkpoint|Ambition: Establish a spider-council|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> Perhaps they will assist the existing spider-senate in some way...

 

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